Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1887-01-15

might find him at last. The whole letter
bespoke the loving wife and fond mother,
and eyinced the writer to be an intelligent
woman. There vas no doubt in the mind
of either of US that this woman in far
away Virginia was the wife Of Bill But
tiers.
Though dreading to do it, linus write to
her, for was not / the trustee? And SO af-
ter repeated trials upon many sheets, a
letter was at last written to Mrs. Barbara
Allen. The substance of it was merely
that a man known in our camp as VIM.
Buffers had died. His property, a six
mule team was in my keeping, and re-
quested she would favor me with her hus-
bands picture if she had one, r describe
his appearance as closely as possible. In
those days a letter didn't come across the
continent in less than q week or a month
either. In due time however, Il reply
came and in it was al old-fashioned am
brotype. The most credulous could not
deny that it was the man we had known az
Bill Buffers. With no profusion ofthanks,
just enough, she asked me to send her
such details Of Mr.. Aliens death and last
moments as were within my knowledge.
Mentioning briefly, that in the last letter
received from him, he had written that he
was freighting with a ten-mule team from
Stockton into the mines and was doing
well.
81 was a young man then, and the fe-
verish pulse of youthful blood coursed fast
through my veins as | wrote a guarded
answer. Guarded in respect to Buffers
of death, but to redundancy as to
my stewardship. In New York State af-
ter leaving school my aim was the law.
Reading Blackstone and Kent had made
but little impression On my mind when
the California fever broke out, and yet
forms were familiar to me, and | had an
underlined idea Of justice and equity,
though Law was yet really a stranger.
Overestimating my ability as a fiedgliRg
jurist, he letter was filed with legal
terms and my promises were in the form
of a legal compact.
st was no wonder therefore that the
woman expressing her confidence in my
ability and relying on my integrity, wrote
me saying:
".Vyith your assistance | shall establish
myself as his widow, and hope your adj
vice may enable me TO secure the little
which my husband left
"Via Panama by next steamer she would
leave New York and she hoped to be able
to find me upon her arrival in California.
sit was while at the postoffice with my
letter from Mrs. Barbara Allen, that | in
common with others herad some startling
news. A late arrival from one Of the bars
down the river came in with the full par
t~iculars of another tragedy.
Q.Miguel Ramon had, while plundering
a cabin been caught in the act by the own
er, and to effect his escape had killed the
man. A miners court TIED sshinl, found
him guilty Of grand larceny and the muir
der of Ned Mcclellan, and the sentence
was, hang him.
1.-The execution of the sentence would
have instantly followed had it not been
he wished to Make a confession.
Among other crimes lie confessed that it
he who had robbed Yankee Jenkins
sluice boxes ard had t....en the tof:y oIn-
ces from Joe Warfiela's cabin; fearing
discovery, he hid the dust in the jockey
box of Bill Buffers wagon, and being OBJ
and pursued by Warfieid, fled down
the river. In the indistinct light
If day-break he saw Warfield and others
Buffers as the thief. In the excite
nent occasioned BY Buffers arrest, he es-
,aped. The thieving murderer had been
strung up by the incensed crowd as soon
IS his confession was made. Our infor-
nant closed his recital with tle remark: